Portland Unveils Large-scale Tree Planting Program
The City of Portland announced a new program that would dramatically increase the number of trees across the city. According to a draft of the new Urban Forest Plan, the City aims to plant 660,000 trees over the next 40 years, growing the total canopy in the city. Among other benefits, more urban trees will reduce temperatures during increasingly-hot summers.
The plan also calls for the City to assume responsibility for planting and maintaining all “street trees”, which are trees planted in the strip of dirt between the street and sidewalk. These trees are currently maintained by the property owner. Taking on responsibility for planting and maintaining all trees will give the City the ability to ensure that trees are planted everywhere possible, and homeowners won’t have the financial and physical burden of planting and maintaining trees.
Funding for the program will come from the Clean Energy Fund, a pool of money funded by a 1% tax levied on large retailers.
